“Political tags — such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth — are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire. The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.”
-—Robert A. Heinlein
“The former are idealists acting from highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number. The latter are surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism. But they are more comfortable neighbors than the other sort.”
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I awoke in a bold mood today so I am going to criticize the great author. I totally disagree with the first sentence. Those who want people to be controlled are definitely NOT acting from the highest motives for the greatest good of the greatest number, they may fantasize that they are but they only fool themselves and other nonthinkers, wanting people to be controlled is actually wanting to control people, it is purely and simply the lust for power. The second sentence may be true of some but most of the people I have known who lacked the desire to control others were not “surly curmudgeons, suspicious and lacking in altruism”. Actually I agree with Rand in preferring that they be lacking in altruism anyway, altruism is the motive claimed by those who DO want to control people.
The third sentence I agree with totally. Even those who may actually be surly and suspicious curmudgeons are far preferable to those who want to control all of us for our own good as they are given to understand the good. In fact I won’t even take offense if someone wants to call me a surly and suspicious curmudgeon. It may be a badge of honor in this era of madness.